


Thus With a Kiss

by Briar_Rose7



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Written for the "Angst Sentence Starters" post on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 07:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11054070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briar_Rose7/pseuds/Briar_Rose7
Summary: ripperblackstaffprompted: "Kissing me breaks promise… remember?"





	Thus With a Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks to [ stillsearching47](http://archiveofourown.org/users/stillsearching47/pseuds/stillsearching47), my amazing beta.

“Kissing me breaks the promise… remember?”

Rumplestiltskin’s words echoed in the silence of the dungeons, as if the Dark Castle itself was reminding them of how heavily those words were influencing their lives. His fingers were pressed softly against Belle’s mouth, preventing her from trying to kiss him again. 

“What if I don’t care about the promise?” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

“You may not care, but I do,” he cut her off sharply. “I can’t let her kill you, Belle. I can’t,” he added, his tone softening, his voice breaking as it did every time he was reminded of what was at stake. 

He knew far too well that Zelena was only keeping Belle alive because she enjoyed  watching them suffer, enjoyed keeping them close but always at arm’s length, letting them see each other’s pain without ever being able to do anything about it. It was a living hell, and he would probably find death preferable, but he wouldn’t inflict that fate upon Belle, not even if she asked him. Zelena’s deal was clear: as long as he was useful to her, Belle would stay alive. If he kissed her, if he lost his powers and broke free of the dagger’s hold on his soul, Belle would die. 

“We can’t go on like this,” she sobbed, seeking refuge in his arms. “This isn’t a life worth living.”

It was like all of her worst nightmares had come to life. She was trapped in a small and damp cell, and she was only allowed out when Zelena wanted to show her how badly she could hurt Rumplestiltskin. She kept him in a cage as well, but in the Great Hall, far away from her dungeon. Yet they could still hear each other cry at night. Even this little meeting had been staged by the witch; she was bored, and whenever she was she liked to hurt them. Their lives were completely at her mercy.

“I’m sorry,” Rumplestiltskin murmured against her hair.

He was sorry because it was his dagger that was keeping them trapped. He was sorry because he couldn’t protect her. He was sorry because he wasn’t brave enough to kiss her, and put an end to their misery. He just couldn’t bring himself to doom her, to snuff out the only light left in his life, and admit that he was destined to destroy all the people who loved him.

“It’s my fault. You gave her the dagger to protect me,” Belle insisted, feeling once again crushed by her guilt. Even if they came out of this alive, for as long as she lived she would feel the regret of causing all of this because of her weakness. She was nothing but a burden to him.

“Don’t say that,” he said, pulling away to look her in the eyes. “I don’t blame you, and you shouldn’t either. After all I’ve done, I may even deserve this, but you, you are the innocent victim here, and it’s all because of me.”

“No one deserves this, let alone you,” she replied firmly. “You are a good man, Rumple, and it kills me to see her hurting you.”

A shiver went through Rumplestiltskin at those words, and he closed his eyes as a single tear slid down his face. He tried not to think about what Zelena was doing to him, focusing all of his efforts on keeping Belle safe, but he could never control his emotions properly when she was so close. She cupped his cheek in her hand, and he leaned into the touch, biting his lip to hold back a sob. He wouldn’t break down. He couldn’t. 

“Such a pitiful scene. The Big Bad Dark One crying like a scared child. I’m starting to think my taste in men is just as bad as yours is in women.”

The sound of Zelena’s voice made them both startle, and Rumplestiltskin instinctively grabbed Belle’s arms, pulling her closer. 

“You monster,” Belle hissed at her. Her words were as useless as they’d always been, but voicing her rage was the only form of independence she had left.

“My my, our bookworm has got teeth. I’m cowering in fear,” Zelena mocked.

She stepped closer to them, carding a hand through Rumplestiltskin’s hair and pulling him away from his True Love.

“I’m afraid your time with Belle is up, _doll,_ ” she whispered viciously in his ear. “Now you should pay attention to something that’s actually important.”

Rumplestiltskin was silent as the witch led him out of the dungeon, his eyes cast down in shame, but Belle never tore her eyes away from him, feeling her heart break more with every step he took away from her. When the cell’s door slammed shut, finally shielding him from her view, Belle crumpled to the floor. 

Only then did she allow herself to cry. 


End file.
